album

Jim Jones Addresses Dipset Reunion Album & What It Would Take To Happen

by

As one of the biggest and best crews to come out of New York in the 2000s, Dipset took the hip-hop game by storm. Recently, one of its members Jim Jones sat down with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN on Drink Champs and addressed whether the group would ever come back together for a reunion album. Moreover, their last official release as a group was the 2018 album Diplomatic Ties, which was their first in 14 years. When considering whether he, Cam’ron, and Juelz Santana would hop on wax together again for a full-length, Capo brought the financials into play. However, he made it clear that it wasn’t all about the money.

“I ain’t gonna lie, if it was a perfect world and I could have things my way…” Jim Jones remarked. “For me this is just how I see it. Partnering up with the right person, whether it be a label or person who has an invested interest to see us win. And once we have a sound blueprint of that, and not to say it’s about the money. But money makes this s**t move when it comes to doing music.

Read More: Jim Jones Credits Tupac For Inspiring Dipset With Their Use Of Beef As Marketing

Jim Jones Theorizes Potential Dipset Reunion Album

“There’s a certain aesthetic that we wanna see and a type of sound the people wanna hear,” Jim Jones continued. “We ain’t trying to cheat the people with things like that. I think a lot of that has been going on in the past years of us doing this Diplomat installments because we’re so used to this whole independent layout. But I think that we put so much work in things like that that I think the people deserve a real Diplomat.”

Meanwhile, this would be a new chapter in a history that resulted in tensions between the Roc-A-Fella-signed group and the label. However, there’s also plenty to look back on and reevaluate when it comes to avoiding those past mistakes. Jones himself recently reflected on how the falling out between the Roc’s heads, Jay-Z and Dame Dash, could’ve been avoided. On that note, log back into HNHH for the latest news and updates on Jim Jones and Dipset.

Read More: Cam’ron Tells Pusha T “Don’t Go Against The Family” Amid Jim Jones Beef

[via]

The post Jim Jones Addresses Dipset Reunion Album & What It Would Take To Happen appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Travis Scott’s “UTOPIA” First Week Sales Are Here, Marks His Third No. 1 Album

by

To absolutely no one’s surprise, we now officially know that Travis Scott’s UTOPIA performed incredibly well commercially. Moreover, official sales data for the week of July 28 (the album’s release date), ending August 3, shows that it sold 496K units in its first week. With that, it became the Houston artist’s third album to go No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and two songs from it landed in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Furthermore, these are “MELTDOWN” with Drake and “FE!N” with Sheck Wes and Playboi Carti. This is the third biggest opening for any album in 2023 and the largest in the field of hip-hop and R&B this year.

Said chart data comes from press releases, Luminate, and Billboard, confirming the success of this long-awaited project. To elaborate, album-equivalent streams for UTOPIA resulted in 243,000 equivalent units, and it garnered over 650 million global streams. Of course, this means that Travis Scott had huge openings on Apple Music and Spotify, with the album gaining the most first-day streams of any 2023 album on both platforms. On the other hand, physical sales reached 252,000 units, the second-biggest physical sales week of the year so far.

Read More: Travis Scott Brings Out Kanye West In Rome, Labels Him The “Greatest Of All Time”

Travis Scott’s Charting UTOPIA Tracks

What’s more is that just the album’s streams would’ve been enough to carry it to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Considering how much more prevalent streaming generally is these days compared to physical album sales, this is an astounding feat. In addition, its highest-charting song actually carried a significant amount of weight when looking at total streaming numbers, which is a testament to its hit power. “MELTDOWN” accounts for 10% of all UTOPIA‘s current streams according to this new data.

Meanwhile, there were a lot of physical bundles for UTOPIA that led to these huge numbers. These include CD variants, bundles, digital sales, and most impressively, vinyl. In fact, it’s the largest sales week for any hip-hop or R&B vinyl since Luminate started tracking these metrics in 1991. Let us know in the comments how you visited UTOPIA. Also, come back to HNHH for the latest news and updates on Travis Scott.

Read More: Travis Scott & Live Nation Settle Lawsuit With Third Family Over Astroworld Festival Tragedy: Report

[via]

The post Travis Scott’s “UTOPIA” First Week Sales Are Here, Marks His Third No. 1 Album appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Travis Scott Reveals His Thoughts On “Astroworld’s” Massive Success

by

Back in 2018, Travis Scott came out with an incredible album called Astroworld. In the eyes of many, this is his magnum opus. However, there are others who would argue that Rodeo is the better project. Either way, Astro turned five years old on Thursday, and fans have been running the album back. Sure, Utopia just came out last week. However, Astroworld still needs to be replayed so we can get the full scope of Travis and his evolution as an artist.

While speaking to Rap Caviar recently, Scott spoke about Astroworld and his thoughts when he was in the midst of dropping it. As he revealed, his Lollapalooza performance is when he really became aware of how big this album could be. “When I walked out in Chicago and I just remember like the energy that was out there. That’s when I was like, ‘Damn, it might be alright,’” Travis Scott explained. “At this moment with Lollapalooza, I was just like I think people could like understand what like I’m trying to do musically.”

Read More: Travis Scott, The Weeknd, & Tame Impala Cooked Up A Classic With “Skeletons”

Travis Scott Speaks

Moreover, Scott noted that there was a specific sound that he was going for on Astroworld. He wanted fans to connect with it, and as it so happens, that is exactly what they did. “I didn’t know how it was gonna be perceived. I will always wanna hear my album for the first time and fans after that make it feel way better,” Travis revealed. “This the album that people really fuck with. And this the album people really understand. You know what I mean? It’s kinda crazy.”

Five years later and Astrworld is still considered one of the best hip-hop records of the last 10 years. It brought a lot of fans into the world of La Flame, and with Utopia, fans are eager to continue listening. Let us know your favorite song from Astroworld, in the comments section down below. We will always be sure to keep you informed.

Read More: Travis Scott & Live Nation Settle Lawsuit With Third Family Over Astroworld Festival Tragedy: Report

The post Travis Scott Reveals His Thoughts On “Astroworld’s” Massive Success appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Lil Uzi Vert Admits That Nicki Minaj Pressed Them Over “Pink Tape” Album Title

by

Pink Tape‘s been out for a month now, and for many fans out there, “Endless Fashion” remains in rotation. Not only does it feature a charismatic performance from Lil Uzi Vert, but it’s another marker of a dominant year for Nicki Minaj. However, there was once a time when that collaboration wasn’t in the cards, and actually came about because Uzi was playing with her brand. Moreover, the Philly star recently sat down for a GQ interview about their No. 1 album, rehab, and a whole lot more. During their conversation, they remarked on how one call from Nicki late into the Pink Tape process pointed out the obvious potential for Queen Barb to be on something pink.

“Nicki hit me up like, ‘How you going to drop an album called Pink Tape and you know pink is my thing?’” Lil Uzi Vert revealed. “I was like, ‘Oh, no. You right. I’m going to send this over right now.’ And I sent it to her right there.” What’s more is that this has been a considerably pink year for Nicki Minaj, even by her high Barb standards. After all, you can’t make a hit song with Ice Spice for the Barbie film soundtrack and not expect a colorful presentation.

Read More: Natalie Nunn Turns Up To Shoutout From Nicki Minaj On “Endless Fashion”

Lil Uzi Vert & Nicki Minaj’s “Endless Fashion”: Stream

Furthermore, we’re glad that these former collaborators realized that this was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up. Ironically enough, “Endless Fashion” is an interpolation of Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee).” Previously, Nicki Minaj spoke to JT, Lil Uzi Vert’s boo, about her verse on it, with the City Girl asking Nicki about how fast she handed it in. “Girl I started @ 8am & finished like 5pm,” the Trinidadian MC explained. “When I tell you I was exhausted by the time I was done. Lol. B/c I was rushing to get it in on time. I kept telling [them] ’30 mins’ then hitting [them] back 2 hours later TB 15-20 more minutes Uzi!!!! I did that ALL DAY LONG YO.”

Meanwhile, with Pink Friday 2 on the horizon, fans can only dream of another collab between these two. Maybe the Queen will return the favor and have Uzi hop on a track that fits their brand. “Diamond Forehead,” “Pluto Power,” or another metal cover, perhaps? Regardless, log back into HNHH for the latest news and updates on Nicki Minaj and Lil Uzi Vert.

Read More: Nicki Minaj Thanks Barbz For Showing Love To “Endless Fashion”

[via]

The post Lil Uzi Vert Admits That Nicki Minaj Pressed Them Over “Pink Tape” Album Title appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Kanye West’s Odd But Meaningful Gift To Conway The Machine Explained

by

Kanye West and Conway The Machine have quite a tight relationship, and that’s something that the former’s gift to the latter proves. Moreover, the Drumwork rapper recently popped by the Rap Radar podcast for an enlightening conversation that held some interesting revelations. One of the things he talked about was his sophomore studio album God Don’t Make Mistakes, and Ye’s reaction to it when he played it for him in Wyoming. Specifically, on the track “Stressed,” Conway’s remarks on alcoholism and his use of it as a coping mechanism struck a chord with the Chicago artist.

“That third verse, I talk about how I was on that bottle, I’m sipping, I’m getting nice everyday and shit,” Conway The Machine expressed on the program. “I’m just giving my perspective of what I’m dealing with with that. And [Kanye West] heard that s**t and he didn’t say nothing. He just got up and walked out the room. He must’ve been feeling that s**t. N***a came back and gave me an autographed Alcohol Anonymous book. Like, ‘Yeah, read that, dawg. I love that record. That s**t, I felt that.’ We had a whole different conversation that I don’t want to share.”

Read More: Conway The Machine Details How Therapy Improved His Music

Conway The Machine Reflects On Kanye West’s Reaction To God Don’t Make Mistakes

Though it was a strange move considering that an autograph can’t mean much to two friends these days, the former (but forever) Griselda affiliate thanked Kanye West for allowing him to pull up, play the album for him, and hear some feedback. In addition, the Yeezy designer previously opened up abut his own struggles with the substance. “I would drink to take the stress away and knock the edge off,” he remarked in a 2021 Thanksgiving prayer. “Drinking affected my health and the health of people around, around me because I already had a hair-trigger temper and this just heightened it.”

“I never thought about the effect alcohol could have had on my life,” Kanye said in Arizona at the Awaken prayer event back in 2020. “I was drinking on the red carpet, and then running on stage a few minutes later. Everyone around said, ‘Nah, he ain’t really no alcoholic.’ And then you get to the point where you’re drinking Grey Goose and orange juice for breakfast, thinking, ‘Nah, I ain’t really no alcoholic.’” Stay up to date on HNHH for the latest news and updates on Kanye West and Conway The Machine.

Read More: Conway The Machine Says He Dealt With “Severe Anxiety” At His Album Release Party

[via]

The post Kanye West’s Odd But Meaningful Gift To Conway The Machine Explained appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Lil Uzi Vert Reveals What It’s Going To Take For Second Album Drop

by

Lil Uzi Vert should be basking in the spotlight of their latest album, The Pink Tape. However, the man is still hungry for recognition, as well as for dropping more music. On July 4th, Lil Uzi posted to their Instagram story a picture of the album cover with the caption, “Get this [to] number one… And I will drop [the] album [y’all] really looking for.” He completes the story with two shushing emojis, referring to the top-secret nature of this mysterious second album.

It’s clear Lil Uzi Vert thinks that, while The Pink Tape is a solid collection of songs, there’s a separate tracklist that hits even harder. They’re saving that second drop for a rainy day or, in this case, for when Pink goes number one. When they says that, they mean going number one on the Billboard 200. To top the charts with their entire album would be quite an accomplishment. With so much new music dropping in 2023, it’s difficult to own a top spot on the Billboard chart.

Read more: Lil Uzi Vert Teases Another New Album After “Pink Tape”

Why Lil Uzi Vert Isn’t Satisfied

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by RapTV (@rap)

Lil Uzi is currently performing songs from this most recent album, but they want to give people even more music. From a live stream, Vert confirmed they wouldn’t release a deluxe version of The Pink Tape, instead opting for a complete second album. Whether it’s a sequel or response to Pink is unclear, but the project seems almost ready to drop. There’s only one thing for fans to do, and that’s make sure Lil Uzi tops the charts. Honestly, it’s fantastic marketing.

In other Lil Uzi news, it might happen that The Pink Tape hits number one all on its own. First-week sales projections have it ending the week at the top spot, with Young Thug falling short of taking the number one crown. For almost months, Morgan Whalen has been killing the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200. Perhaps it’s time for hip-hop to claim the throne. In the meantime, Lil Uzi Vert will be mobbing in their 1-of-1 Rolls Royce, living the good life with a best-selling album.

Read more: Lil Uzi Vert Thanks Ken Carson For Producing “x2” Off Of “Pink Tape”

[Via]

The post Lil Uzi Vert Reveals What It’s Going To Take For Second Album Drop appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Nicki Minaj Jokes About Elon Musk’s New Rate Limits For Twitter

by

Nicki Minaj responded to Elon Musk’s decision to limit the number of posts users on Twitter can read in a single day on Saturday. In doing so, she joked about promoting Lil Uzi Vert’s new album, Pink Tape. Minaj appears on the track, “Endless Fashion.”

“Planning out how I’ll use my 600 limit today to promote the #Pinktape, mush the barbz in they head, block & beat the duds while dissing them & cracking up laughing at my own jokes, posting at least 1 nene GIF, call btchs my sons while being bossed around by #PapaBear Hmmm,” she wrote on Sunday, adding a gif.

Read More: Nicki Minaj Reveals “Pink Friday 2” Release Date

Nicki Minaj At The VMAs

Nicki Minaj onstage during the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

The number of tweets a user could view varied by verification status. Unverified accounts were limited to only 600 tweets while verified accounts could see up to 8,000 tweets. Musk claimed this decision was due to “extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation.”

The post comes after Minaj recently revealed the title of her next album will be a sequel to Pink Friday back on Thursday. She also confirmed that the release date is set for November. “Trust me, it’ll be WELL WORTH THE WAIT,” she told her fans. “But since I AM shifting the date just a tad, I’d like to give you guys a tiny SIP of some more album tea so that I don’t have to get cussed out so…here it goes: MY NEW ALBUM WILL BE RELEASED ON 11.17.23- And she shall be called #PinkFriday2.”

Nicki Minaj Shades Twitter

She added: “I love you guys so much. I am so grateful for the years of support & love you guys have given me. At times maybe I didn’t even deserve all that you have poured into me. Nonetheless, you. will. love. this. album.” Minaj also hinted about going on tour but said to expect more details closer to the release of Pink Friday 2.

Read More: Nicki Minaj Announces “Pink Friday 2,” Social Media Reacts

[Via]

The post Nicki Minaj Jokes About Elon Musk’s New Rate Limits For Twitter appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Joe Budden Prefers Gunna’s New Album To Lil Durk’s And Young Thug’s

by

In the wake of Gunna’s reported snitching many beefs, or supposed beefs have sparked up. One way that fans have pledged their allegiances and tried to keep score is by comparing the various artist’s new projects. Earlier this year Lil Durk dropped his new album Almost Healed. The record went on to have the biggest debut for a rap album in 2023. Two weeks ago Gunna dropped his own new album a Gift & a Curse which just debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200. Just over the past weekend Young Thug dropped his album Business Is Business while still in police custody.

Many fans had their own thoughts on which album was the best, including Joe Budden. “They can’t trick me with their little rap conditioning and rap ideologies, f*ck outta here. That Gunna shit sound good,” Budden said. The “trick” seems to be referring to many fans claiming Gunna’s music is bad or that they won’t listen to it simply because he took a plea deal in the ongoing YSL RICO case. Joe Budden went even further saying that Gunna had the best album of the trio. “It’s better than all of them with no features and no Metro Boomin, with no help and no support. He did it!”

Joe Budden Weighs In On Gunna’s Album

This isn’t the only beef Joe Budden has weighed into recently. On an episode of his podcast featuring Jim Jones, the rapper called out Clipse’s rappers Pusha T and No Malice. The beef originally dates back to Jones claiming that Pusha T didn’t belong on a recent list of the Top 50 Rappers of all time. Pusha T escalated the conflict with lyrics directed at Jones from a song he debuted during Pharrell’s recent Louis Vuitton fashion show.

In a recent video Gunna posted to his Instagram story he thanked fans for the success of his new album. The video highlighted the record’s streaming numbers and chart debuts. It also pointed out that Gunna had the highest first-week sales for an album with no features since 2021. What do you think of Joe Budden’s take on Gunna’s new album? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Joe Budden Explains Why He Doesn’t Interview More Rappers

[Via]

The post Joe Budden Prefers Gunna’s New Album To Lil Durk’s And Young Thug’s appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Meek Mill Explains His Lack Of Output, Confirms 4 Upcoming Albums

by

Meek Mill says that he’s been “handling the business,” and hasn’t been able to drop music for a bit. However, while posting about the situation on Twitter, he also confirmed that he’s got four separate albums in the works.

“If I ain’t drop music it’s a reason I’m handling the business,” he wrote. “We not shinning shoes to look the famous and feel the biggest for a label … and I’m not selling my shit like it’s mid… the game watered down y’all overhyped everything now it’s a drought.”

Read More: Meek Mill Teases Plans For 2 New Albums

Meek Mill In Concert

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 21: Meek Mill performs in concert at The Anthem on March 21, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brian Stukes/Getty Images)

In a follow-up post, he added: “I’m giving up 4 albums chilllllllll. Switchie flow…. Ima crack the code seriously and say it b4 I do it lol.” Meek hasn’t released an album since his fifth studio album, Expensive Pain, which he dropped back in 2021. The 36-year-old previously teased having two new albums in store for fans during a post on Twitter, just last week. He explained that he’s got one collaborative project with Vory and another that is more of a group effort.

Meek also recently asked fans whether he’s fallen off. The question resulted in many users bringing up his lack of new music in recent years. “Who think I fell off or don’t really think I got it with rapping anymore?” Meek wrote, earlier this month. “I’m fr I need answers and tell the truth I’m not taking it personal. I need to hear how people think before I do what I do! A social experiment! Answer if you a supporter of mines!…I’m not asking for confidence either.”

Meek Mill Confirms New Albums

Meek didn’t provide any further details about the upcoming albums or when they’ll be released, but be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks. HotNewHipHop will keep you posted if Meek shares any more details regarding new music.

Read More: Meek Mill Asks Fans Whether He “Fell Off”

[Via]

The post Meek Mill Explains His Lack Of Output, Confirms 4 Upcoming Albums appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Young Thug Versus Gunna: Which Album Is Better? Twitter Debates

by

Over the past week, we saw two incredibly hyped albums come out amid a lot of drama and speculation. a Gift & a Curse by Gunna came out on June 16, and just a week later, Young Thug dropped BUSINESS IS BUSINESS. Considering both artists’ history together, their incarceration for the YSL RICO case, and Wunna’s subsequent plea deal, these two release being so close to one another come with a lot of baggage. Of course, many enjoy both to great extent, but social media sites like Twitter have been warring over which one is the superior body of work.

For starters, many lamented the fact that neither MC appeared on the other’s album, which many thought would confirm that they’re still on good terms. Regardless, when you search “Young Thug Gunna” on Twitter, most tweets side with a Gift & a Curse. “Sorry but this new Young Thug album doesn’t even compete to Gunna’s album,” one user wrote. Another made note of the College Park MC’s important contributions to other career highlights. “Young Thug & Lil Baby’s biggest songs both feature Gunna…” they tweeted.

Read More: Young Thug’s New Album Contains Hostile Snitching Bars

Twitter Debates Gunna & Young Thug’s Albums

On the other hand, many people started praising Gunna’s album just minutes after BUSINESS IS BUSINESS came out, not even enough time to listen to the whole thing. In addition, others took the opportunity to explain why it’s hard to compare them, especially within mere hours of Thugger dropping. “Well gunna did have a year to prepare, got out and recorded all new material,” one user pointed out. “These thug songs are obvious throwaways and loose songs from “punk”. Is it illegal to just enjoy them both damn.”

Finally, many who believe Thug’s album is better have the obvious argument of him influencing Gunna greatly. “Young Thug made Gunna. Don’t forget that,” one person tweeted. Regardless of their speculated falling-out, the albums are stylistically distinct enough to make it more of a question of personal preference. One has more expressive vocals, the other has more laidback instrumentals, but only one can be better than the other. Check out some takes below, let us know yours in the comments, and return to HNHH for more on Gunna and Young Thug.

Read More: Did Gunna Beat The Snitching Narrative? Twitter Reacts To “A Gift & A Curse”

More Takes On BUSINESS IS BUSINESS Versus a Gift & a Curse

The post Young Thug Versus Gunna: Which Album Is Better? Twitter Debates appeared first on HotNewHipHop.